Review: Holy Ghost

Holy Ghost by John Sandford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: HOLY GHOST by John Sandford
(Virgil Flowers #11)

Virgil Flowers is definitely not the ordinary criminal investigator. As an investigator for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension of Minnesota, he doesn't have a specified territory, so he's kind of a roaming agent. In this case, he is called to the small town of Wheatfield after two shootings of out-of-towners who are visiting to see the Marian apparitions. Yes, apparently the Virgin Mary is appearing in a tiny Minnesota community, just as at Fatima and Lourdes. Her apparition has enormously blossomed the town economy, which had seriously declined. Tourism means cash for the community, and Mayor Holland, a disabled Afghanistan vet, and his sidekick Skinner, an eighteen-year-old quite intelligent and crafty high school senior, are cashing in at their new emporium.

Meanwhile, first one visitor is shot and wounded, then a second. After Virgil Flowers arrives to investigate, a third victim, a local senior citizen, is shot and killed. Despite the crowds waiting near the church, no one ever hears a shot or sees anyone carrying a rifle. Virgil discovers an earlier murder and robbery, which had gone unnoticed for two weeks.

For quite a while, it seems that Virgil's investigation, and that of two other BCA agents, despite providing a lot of humour, isn't helping and perhaps is making matters worse, as the violence continues. But eventually, all comes to light, exposing a seriously twisted and convoluted rationale.

I think this is the first in the Virgil Flowers series I had read, although I had read some of Mr. Sandford's earlier novels, and I've become a convert. Virgil is a diligent yet laid-back investigator, there's a lot of humor, and the case is seemingly inexplicable with a twisted denouement and conclusion. HOLY GHOST is well worth checking out.

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